mel jacobson on mon 12 dec 11
gina, you have given us all a perfect
reason to use cones.
i have said for years that when
my cone 11 is at two o'clock i know
i have a perfect cone 10 firing.
with cones, you can stop your kiln
at most any temperature....just
be aware and observant.
i have never understood why anyone would
depend on an electronic device to fire an
entire load of glazed pots. i want to know...know
for sure that the cone i work with is perfect. it is
not too much to ask. it is part of the process.
it would be like putting a piece of wood in a lathe,
punch in the numbers on a computer and go to bed.
next morning...perfect wooden piece. but, why?
and, the second issue is `public kilns`
where the group decides how to
fire based on one favorite glaze...then
the other glazes look like crap.
it would drive me nuts.
when i do copper reds i try and
put a lot of copper red in the firing,
then i can add other glazed pieces that
will fire along with red and be a compliment
to the firing. ( i often fire black temmoku with
reds...they seem to get along great.)
as many know, shino is a fussy glaze...and should
be fired as a `shino firing`. i load my kiln
with shino when i need that glaze.
in so many ways, firing all temmoku at
one time was the key to understanding what
was going on with joe's project.
it was never test pots.
the entire kiln was fired with one glaze, to
cone 13 and the atmosphere was neutral.
potters make choices. who controls your work,
is it hand made? do you want to control all
facets of the process, or do you turn over the
most critical parts to machines and technology???
it is a choice.
just because your kiln has a controller does not
mean you are a slave to it. use it, learn it, but
put your own brain into the process. an added cone
pack just makes your firing perfect..every time.
but, match your glazes and surface to the cone
you want. every time.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
Lee on mon 12 dec 11
Before Seger, we depended upon test tiles and test rings, especially
in salt and woodfire, where the vapor and ash makes the cones
inaccurate. You can have the ash side of a pot mature, while the
backside needs more time, and visa versa.
In Mashiko, once the last cone went down in a chamber in the
noborigama, we would pull test tiles. Frequently, we kept pulling
two or three hours after the last cone fell, because Sensei wanted the
tests to look more mature.
--
=3DA0Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3DA0"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D9=
7that is, =3D
"The
land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
within itself." -- John O'Donohue
Arnold Howard on mon 12 dec 11
On 12/12/2011 8:14 AM, mel jacobson wrote:
> just because your kiln has a controller does not
> mean you are a slave to it. use it, learn it, but
> put your own brain into the process. an added cone
> pack just makes your firing perfect..every time.
Digital controllers are accurate. The weak point, though, is the Type-K
thermocouple, which drifts in temperature as it ages. As Mel suggests,
witness cones (the cones on the shelf) will help you to detect any
inaccuracies in the control system.
Also, make a note of how far the thermocouple extends into the firing
chamber. Each time you load the kiln, check that this distance has not
changed. If a shelf bumps into the thermocouple and pushes it farther
out of the firing chamber, the kiln may shut off at a higher than normal
temperature. This is especially important if more than one person loads
the kiln.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Edouard Bastarache on mon 12 dec 11
Mel,
I use temperature mesuring devices only to see if I am going up or not:
http://www.facebook.com/edouard.bastarache#!/photo.php?fbid=3D1015042901960=
3498&set=3Da.10150429019348498.383408.642693497&type=3D1&theater
One is worth 2,400 bux. I got it free from a steel plant,,,
I use only 1 method of firing, it puzzles an Internet potter-frind who live=
s
in Maine, even if sometimes I put dozens of different glazes in the kiln. I
presume I am very lucky.
Gis,
Edouard Bastarache
Spertesperantisto
Sorel-Tracy
Quebec
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30058682@N00/
http://edouardbastarache.blogspot.com/
http://edouardbastaracheblogs2.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/edouard.bastarache
----- Original Message -----
From: "mel jacobson"
To:
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2011 9:14 AM
Subject: gina/cones vs controller
> gina, you have given us all a perfect
> reason to use cones.
>
> i have said for years that when
> my cone 11 is at two o'clock i know
> i have a perfect cone 10 firing.
> with cones, you can stop your kiln
> at most any temperature....just
> be aware and observant.
>
> i have never understood why anyone would
> depend on an electronic device to fire an
> entire load of glazed pots. i want to know...know
> for sure that the cone i work with is perfect. it is
> not too much to ask. it is part of the process.
>
> it would be like putting a piece of wood in a lathe,
> punch in the numbers on a computer and go to bed.
> next morning...perfect wooden piece. but, why?
>
> and, the second issue is `public kilns`
> where the group decides how to
> fire based on one favorite glaze...then
> the other glazes look like crap.
>
> it would drive me nuts.
>
> when i do copper reds i try and
> put a lot of copper red in the firing,
> then i can add other glazed pieces that
> will fire along with red and be a compliment
> to the firing. ( i often fire black temmoku with
> reds...they seem to get along great.)
>
> as many know, shino is a fussy glaze...and should
> be fired as a `shino firing`. i load my kiln
> with shino when i need that glaze.
>
> in so many ways, firing all temmoku at
> one time was the key to understanding what
> was going on with joe's project.
> it was never test pots.
>
> the entire kiln was fired with one glaze, to
> cone 13 and the atmosphere was neutral.
>
> potters make choices. who controls your work,
> is it hand made? do you want to control all
> facets of the process, or do you turn over the
> most critical parts to machines and technology???
> it is a choice.
>
> just because your kiln has a controller does not
> mean you are a slave to it. use it, learn it, but
> put your own brain into the process. an added cone
> pack just makes your firing perfect..every time.
> but, match your glazes and surface to the cone
> you want. every time.
> mel
>
>
>
> from: minnetonka, mn
> website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
> clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
>
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